Shaping healthcare – insights from a lifetime of giving

Renowned rheumatologist Professor Dame Carol Black reflects on five decades in medicine, from her unconventional start as a mature student to becoming a champion for women in healthcare leadership. In this podcast, she discusses the evolution of medical practice, her approach to building world-class clinical teams, and why taking calculated risks has been essential to her career—offering invaluable insights for the next generation of medical leaders.

Professor Dame Carol Black, British physician and academic, Rheumatology specialist, and international expert on systemic sclerosis, has held varied positions in Medicine since the 1970s. Join her as she shares insights from a lifetime of giving, making a positive difference, and effecting change through taking risks in her own career and stewardship with our SGH Hospital of the Future podcast hosts Dr Goh Su-Yen and Dr Yeo Siaw Ing. 

Find out about Professor Dame Black’s love for Medicine, what drew her to enrol into Medicine as a mature student in 1965 and why she champions giving back to society and philanthropy. Learn about the changes in healthcare she has witnessed over the decades, improvements she would like to see in the future, and how she has been able to build clinical and research departments and attract the best talent to work there. 

Recognised as an advocate for women in leadership, hear Professor Dame Black thoughts on why it is imperative to have women leadership in Medicine, how this impacts the future of healthcare, and how she has mentored women towards leadership positions.

(From left) Professor Dame Carol Black, Dr Yeo Siaw Ing and Dr Goh Su-Yen in the SGH Studio.

About Professor Dame Carol Black
From 2006 to 2016, Professor Dame Carol Black advised the British Government on the relationship between work and health. She was the Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge from 2012 to 2019, and President of the Royal College of Physicians from 2002 to 2006. She was Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges from 2006 to 2009.

Professor Dame Black first studied history at Bristol University, graduating as a Bachelor of Arts. She then moved to a British colony – the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the Pacific Ocean – where she worked as a school teacher.

She graduated in Medicine from Bristol University in 1970 at the age of 30 and obtained full registration with the General Medical Council the following year. After graduating, she worked in general hospital medicine as a junior doctor in Bristol. She gained a higher degree by researching systemic sclerosis and in 1974 passed the Royal College of Physicians membership examination.

Professor Dame Black moved to Hammersmith Hospital in London the following year for specialist training. In 1981, she took up an offer of an appointment as a consultant rheumatologist at West Middlesex Hospital.

After eight years in a National Health Service (NHS) general hospital as a consultant, she moved back into academic rheumatology at the Royal Free teaching hospital, later becoming a professor and then the hospital's medical director. The Rheumatology unit she established there has a strong interest in systemic sclerosis: it is a national tertiary referral centre for patients suffering from the illness and is a major European centre for clinical research into the disease. The unit also has a tradition of high-quality teaching for medical students and specialists-in-training Because of Professor Dame Black’s work on systemic sclerosis, more could be done to ameliorate the effects of the condition, although specific treatment for the disease remains elusive.

About SGH Hospital of the Future Podcast Hosts

Dr Goh Su-Yen is Senior Consultant,  Endocrinology at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Head and Senior Consultant, SingHealth Duke-NUS Diabetes Centre, and Group Director, Innovation and Transformation, SingHealth, with an interest in innovation and transformation. 

Dr Yeo Siaw Ing is a Senior Consultant in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, SGH, where she also serves as Department Director of Clinical Services, Chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (MOH). Prior to joining SGH in 2013, she was a Consultant Rheumatologist in the United Kingdom and an Honorary Clinical Associate at the University of Hong Kong. She contributes actively to medical education as a faculty member, examiner, and committee member of the Senior Residency Programme (JCST and RAC), and holds academic appointments with Duke-NUS Medical School, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.

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About the SGH Hospital of the Future Podcast

What comes to mind when you think about the hospital of the future? How will rapidly-evolving technology enhance the human touch which is so essential in reshaping healthcare?

Join us as we dive into emerging medical technologies and trends, and significant healthtech innovations making an impact on integrated future health systems and new models of care. We bring you industry experts and luminaries from across the globe and their exclusive insights, as we explore how to unlock new value and better outcomes while looking after both patients and healthcare workers.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, tech enthusiast, or curious about the future of medicine, our healthcare innovation podcast keeps you ahead of the curve in the advancing world of healthcare.

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